Adirondack Peeks Winter 2023

not universally enjoyed. Things got easier once we made it to the Opalescent and onto the maintained trail. Reach ing Marcy that day definitely brought a sense of accom plishment. We might even have rested for a few minutes on the top. Profound lessons were learned on this trip and during this time period. Some lessons were basics, like trip planning and navigation skills. A less tangible lesson included an awareness that individual abilities and enjoy ment levels vary greatly.

ebration. At that moment we realized Luke possessed an unusually high level of endurance and it was clear that my own father–son adventures were on the horizon. The California 14ers Early in 2019, I secured permits for hiking Mount Whitney in July. At 14,505 feet, Mount Whitney is the highest peak in the contiguous states. It would just be me and Luke on this adventure of 22 miles and 6,000 feet of elevation gain. Casting doubt on our ability to summit as a day hike was an enormous snowpack from the previous winter (and spring). Some groups earlier in the month had taken up to 18 hours to complete the day hike. Our plan was to spend three nights at altitude, doing some short day hikes to help acclimate. On the third morning, we awoke early and hit the trail a few minutes before 4 a.m. On the way up, while hiking in darkness, three stream crossings required that I remove shoes and socks before carrying Luke. Further up the trail, we need ed micro-spikes for several sections. Luke received en couragement from many fellow hikers along the way and after over seven hours we reached the summit. Sharing this incredible experience with my son would make this one of the best days of my life. Soon after the

Whitney hike, Luke men tioned an interest in sum miting all the California 14ers (there are 15) before he turned 14. Unlike the Ad irondack High Peaks, very few of the California 14ers are easily accessible via day hikes. Many involve sig nificant elevation gain, long approaches, off trail travel, class 3 (or more technical) routes or a combination of each. After a winter of planning and undeterred by the pandemic, we began our quest as soon as school got out in early June. That

Leaving Home Before long, my brothers and I went separate ways, got married, and each moved out of New York. For me, this was my first exposure to mountains and trails beyond the Adirondacks. I reached state high points in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Arizona. Other memorable hikes included Angel’s Landing at Zion National Park and Half Dome at Yosemite National Park. Joining me on many of these adventures was my wife Angela, a partner always willing and able to keep up. Thank you, Angela! Soon after moving to Santa Barbara, CA, in 2007 life changed in a big way with the birth of our first child, Luke, on Halloween, 2009. He was shortly followed by our daughter, Maya, in July 2011. We never stopped hiking and as soon as the kids could walk, they began to hike. In July 2015, Luke achieved his first Adirondack high peak (Cascade). Bigger adventures lay ahead. In May 2016, our family of four plus my father-in law headed to Grand Canyon National Park. The outing involved going down the South Kaibab trail to the Colo rado River and spending two nights at Phantom Ranch before heading back up to the south rim via the Bright Angel trail. We were counting on Luke taking every step and Maya switching between hiking and riding in a kid carrier backpack. My father-in-law’s appreciation for “the hike of a lifetime” helped us all to enjoy every moment of this extraordinary experience. Luke had no trouble with the 10 miles and 4,000 feet of elevation gain and Maya covered more than enough ground on her own. A last ing memory was the boundless energy shown by Luke after completing the hike and before the ice cream cel

summer we would go on to tackle six of the California 14ers. The peaks included White Mountain, Mount Lang ley, Mount Russell, Mount Whitney (again), Mount Muir, and Mount Williamson. My adventures in the Adirondacks prepared me well for every aspect of these encounters. I began to better appreciate the efforts my father took to maximize my enjoyment while a child in the mountains. Having tackled most of the easier 14ers, our pace has slowed the last two years. We summited Mount Split in June 2021 as part of a John Muir Trail section hike. In September 2022, we hiked Mount Tyndall af ter our fourth attempt. Safely and enjoyably reaching a 14,000-foot summit requires factors such as weather, acclimation, nutrition, and fitness coming together fa

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